Don't look: Boss Madigan is playing the victim

House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton filed a lawsuit against Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday. (Michael Tercha, Tribune photo)

Of all the people who've been victims of raw political power in this corrupt state, I bet there's one name you never expected to see:

Boss Madigan.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday against Gov. Pat Quinn, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his cunning apprentice, state Senate President John Cullerton, D-DeLeo, are portraying themselves as victims of the governor's ruthlessness.

And heaven help me for saying this, but Boss Madigan is absolutely right.

Yes, the words curdle on my tongue. But fair is fair. Boss Madigan is being strong-armed by a cruel and overreaching government.

Let's agree, once and for all, that the most powerful man in the state, Boss Madigan, is a victim.

Not only is he a victim, but he and Cullerton are champions of a free and independent legislature, at least in their own minds. How do I know this? They say so.

They're upset that Quinn has refused to pay legislators their salaries until lawmakers do something about the $100 billion in unfunded pension liabilities for state workers that's been burning a hole in Illinois' credit rating.

Every day the legislature waits, they cost us taxpayers millions. But while they wait, they want us to pay them. This is what passes for logic in Illinois.

It seems only like days ago when Madigan publicly supported Quinn's pay freeze idea.

"The governor's decision follows my efforts, and I understand his frustration," Madigan said in a statement. "I am hopeful his strategy works."

Actually, it doesn't just seemlike days ago. It was days ago. July 10 to be exact. But now the legislators want Madigan and Cullerton to go and get their money from Quinn.

In their letter Tuesday to legislators, Madigan and Cullerton explain the good-government reasons they're opposed to Quinn's squeeze on legislative pay.

"In this case, the governor is seeking changes to the pension system, but next time it could be tax policy, gun control, or education reform," Madigan and Cullerton said in a letter to state lawmakers. "The possibilities are endless. The purpose of this lawsuit is to protect the independence of the legislature and preserve the separation of powers.

"It is our hope that the court will remedy this constitutional violation and that future governors will not feel empowered to use such coercive tactics."

That didn't faze Quinn, who still insists that legislators who don't do their jobs to fix the pension mess shouldn't get paid.

"If legislators had put forth the same effort to draw up a pension reform agreement that they did in crafting this lawsuit, pension reform could have been done by now," Quinn said in a statement.

"Instead of focusing on resolving the state's pension crisis — which is costing taxpayers millions of dollars a day — legislators have chosen to focus on their own paychecks and waste taxpayer time and money on this lawsuit."

Ah, but notice that Quinn said nothing about his alleged "coercive tactics."

Guess what, governor? No one likes coercive tactics, which is probably why Madigan — blessed be his name — filed the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court.

That's the same county where Madigan and his buddy Ald. Ed Burke, 14th, make most of the judges. If you want to be a judge in Cook County but you don't have Madigan and Burke giving you the nod, you might as well change careers and do something meaningful with your life, like teach civics to Vladimir Putin.

Some say Madigan and Burke make judges out of a plastic injection mold, but reasonable people know they make judges out of their own will. Why? Because they can. They're Democratic bosses. And that's what Democratic bosses do.

But now Boss Madigan is a victim.

Madigan draws the state's political map, determining the balance of power. And he decides what state legislation gets called and who calls it. He runs the Illinois Democratic Party and not only elects judges in Cook County but also on the state Supreme Court.

Republicans quiver in their boots when he glides past like some Sith lord with eyes in the back of his head. Or, they may sidle up and ask to be his friend and wag their tails if they get a biscuit.

But now Boss Madigan is a victim.

He's installed his daughter as a walking conflict of interest in the job of Illinois attorney general and his son-in-law as chief of staff of the giant and troubled Regional Transportation Authority.

But now Boss Madigan is a victim.

He makes a fortune in his private law practice reducing the taxes of wealthy downtown real estate holders. And he elected Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, whose office, by amazing coincidence, makes important real estate decisions.

If Boss Madigan wished, his Democratic supermajorities in the legislature could override Quinn and get their money. Of course, if they cast that vote, it might be remembered by taxpayers in the next election.

So Boss Madigan is a victim.

Even though he's run things for decade after decade after decade, while Illinois drowns in red ink, as refugees and jobs leave the state, as the spelling of Illinois looks more and more like D-e-t-r-o-i-t.

Yet, I agree, the poor guy is a victim, fighting for the rights of a free and independent legislature that he controls with an iron fist. But here's the thing about victims:

There are many of us in Illinois.

We're taxpayers. And we've been victims of ruthless power and coercive tactics for a lot longer than you've been a victim, Mike.

So get in line, Boss Madigan, new victim. Get in line behind us.

You hungry? Cooking With Kass is here. Do you want me to cook for you? Whole roast pork on spits turning slow over coals. Cold beverages. We'll talk, make fun of politicians and hang out in a moutza-free zone. It's on Saturday, Aug. 17, beginning at 11:30 a.m. For tickets, check Trib Nation or go online at kass.eventbrite.com.